Best Friends, Gregory Castle Interviewed

Gregory Castle, Best Friends

Gregory Castle reveals  plans – No More Homeless Pets, an inside view of the state of dogs in the United States.

The interview I had with Gregory Castle in Chicago has been ringing in my ears, both for the discussion we had, and the news that court action has taken place on the first 5 of the 26 people arrested in the eight-state dog fighting ring busts.

It’s funny how facilitative systems we think would already be planned and in place, sometimes don’t really exist anywhere but in our heads (hey, I’m sure it’s not just me!).

I asked Castle about the organizing systems that might be in place at this time or in the works, given the distinct possibility of future multi-state dog busts, the need to get a handle on transporting dogs from region-to-region or state-to-state, and the adoption issues surrounding pit bulls. We closed with how Best Friends was working toward the goal of no more homeless pets.

In the wake of the biggest law enforcement action against dogfighters, one of the points I wanted to clarify was that of funding: Was there a fund set up to assist local shelters legally responsible to care for this huge influx of dogs? Extensive medical needs and the time required to heal emotional wounds adds up to quite a chunk of change for 500 dogs. For many shelters, that number represents a year’s worth of work and with dogs not nearly as needy.

Castle said that local groups generally must raise or use their own funds. “It’s an ongoing problem and there are…health issues like with the Vick dogs that need to be treated before they are transferred to other dogs.”

New methods of solving a problem in one area can lead to new problems in another area. [It would be useful if national groups involved in major busts would partner in PSAs and ads with the local shelters caring for the animals on a plea for funds.]

When it comes to transporting animals to save them, I asked if there are stats tracking where transports are most needed, to where populations and higher income areas can absorb more homeless animals. A kind of map of the US showing pet populations, poverty overflow of relinquished pets, shortages of type, transport destinations, and high kill rates.

Castle said that “Utah has a high demand for small dogs they cannot fill, while LA shelters are stacked with small dogs. We bring them in to satisfy that demand.” (I know New York ships dogs on transport, too, to save lives and help other areas fill demand.) But Castle said there was nothing like a mapping program for the US available or even in the works as far as he knew.

We talked about the bad PR problem of pit bulls created by hysterical media reports, and extreme legislation like Breed Specific Laws compounding the already selective guidelines of finding dog savvy families as adoption candidates. And now to have 500 additional dogs arrive unexpectedly in the system—a great bust and we are all so very grateful they are out of that cesspool— it will be revealing to see how well they will be absorbed.

I asked if there were formal training programs for skilled volunteers to take “graduate” courses in socializing ex-fighting dogs. Just today (Sunday), a team of 11 people from the American Humane Association’s Red Star Animal Emergency Services arrived in St Louis. They will work with the Humane Society of Missouri to socialize the 400 dogs and now 100 puppies seized in the raids.

Castle offered that Bad Rap has trained people for this purpose, but it’s not a formal training program as far as he’s aware. He mentioned that Best Friends has trained people, but on an informal basis and there is no program in place. “We have a lot of contacts with different groups for referral of help when it comes to busts or specific situations, and we will draw on our data base” of volunteers as needs arise.

To wrap things up, we talked about what Best Friends was doing to achieve their goal of “no more homeless pets.”

“We closed down a puppy mill. Closing pet shops is an essential part of this program…the pet store business model is to promote high-priced animals as being the most desirable[even if nearly 98% of them come from puppy mills!] Protesting a puppy mill and a store like the Pets of Bel Air [is a lesson in] how to be threatened with a lawsuit.”

Castle said they were behind that protest and know that you have to be respectful,[ like not interfering with traffic in an out of the premises, or shouting at people,] but you can inform and educate. He said that networking within communities to spread the word about puppy mills is a real eye-opener for many. You can end up with a lot of business support as a result of your efforts.

Some pet store owners are willing to partner with local shelters even before community pressure is brought to bear. Patience is a virtue that has been known to wear down the opposition, as it was in the Bel Air case. Pets of Bel Air closed eventually and when a new owner came in they were eager to get on board with rescued animals.

Best Friends has many other programs, like the pets as part of the family education, helping families keep their pets in the home, getting the word out on internet sales which are backed by puppy mills, closing down puppy mills, networking with others, and more. Check out Best Friends site for the many ways you can make “no more homeless pets” a reality.

Many thanks to Samantha Robson who worked hard to find time in Castle’s heavy schedule for Dancing Dog Blog. And best regards to Gregory Castle for being so generous, allowing extra time for the interview. I am grateful for the opportunity—thanks!